Nothing But A Memory
by TeamNoSleep
Summary: Serenity Dawn was childhood best friends with the boys of Big Time Rush. But after a tragic incident at her sixth birthday party, she was taken away from them. Twelve years later, she shows in up L.A. with no memories of the boys and carrying the burdens of a dark past. REWRITE.
1. Chapter 1

**REWRITE OF NOTHING BUT A MEMORY FOUND ON MY PREVIOUS FF ACCOUNT: MOONWARRIORS.**

 **The account still exists and so does the story, check it out if you're really into spoilers!**

 **I do not own Big Time Rush, characters Sydney, Scarlett, and Nikayla were created (6 years ago omg) by users fabuluslyfamous, If life was a movie, and AveryPotterFangirl respectively.**

 **This story may contain content sensitive to some readers.**

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 _12 years ago…_

James POV

"Happy Birthday to you!" we finished singing.

"Make a wish and blow out the candles, darling," my best friend's mom smiled as she held Serenity on her lap. Serenity squeezed her eyes shut as she made her wish, then sucked in a deep, audible breath and blew out all six candles on her pink princess cake.

"What did you wish for?" I called to her over the cheers.

"I can't tell you, silly," she giggled as she leaned over to ruffle my hair. "Then it won't come true." I frowned and fixed my freshly messed hair. Girls were the worst. They had no respect for the effort we put into our hair.

Serenity's dad cut up the cake, distributing each slice to a member of the party: my best friends Kendall, Carlos, Logan, and Serenity, and Serenity's older brothers Shiloh and Silas. Carlos wasted no time in shoving his entire face into his slice. Serenity let out a ferocious laugh upon seeing Carlos's face covered in pink frosting. While Serenity's mom cleaned him up, her dad emerged with an armful of presents.

"Guess what I've got!" he called out. Serenity's icy blue eyes lit up with excitement.

"Presents!" she shrieked.

"Open ours first!" Kendall grinned, exposing a gap in his smile where his two front teeth used to be. He'd lost them both when Logan accidentally nailed him in the face with a hockey puck during practice. Logan probably cried more than Kendall did.

Serenity grinned as she ripped open the box containing our combined present. I was nervous as I watched her. What if she didn't like it? Our parents helped us pick out her present; girl gifts were so hard. We should've just gotten her Legos.

Serenity gasped and I immediately felt better. The look on her face was enough to tell me she loved it. She held up the charm bracelet to show her mother. Four charms decorated the thin metal chain, each half of a best friend's charm. Our parents paid extra to have our names engraved on the back of each charm. I thought it was weird. Since the best friend's charms split in two, each of our names were split in half. "Ken." "Lo." "Car." "Jam." It wasn't my idea. When I noticed the other guys pulling out the chains they had hidden under their shirts, I did the same. We matched the charms on our necklaces to the ones on her bracelet.

Carlos matched the monkey head. Logan completed the book. Kendall had the other half of a bird with outstretched wings, and I connected the other half of a crown. Serenity squealed with delight. She held her arm out for her mother to clasp the bracelet around her neck.

"Your names are on the back!" she squealed again when she examined her present again. I wondered if her voice hurt going that high.

"I want to see how it looks!" she jumped out of her mother's lap and sprinting up the stairs to her room.

"I think it's safe to say you boys did a great job on her gift," Serenity's dad chuckled. Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and I smiled at each other in satisfaction.

"I thought you guys were getting her Legos," Silas looked confused. I shrugged.

"Mom said no," I told him. While we waited for Serenity to come back downstairs, we finished our cake slices. She was taking a long time. How long does it take to look at a bracelet?

Moments later, a shrill scream filled the air. Serenity's parents exchanged quick, concerned glances before racing up the stairs.

"Serenity?" her mom called. "Serenity, are you okay?" There was no response.

"Serenity!" her father yelled. There were a few minutes of just her parents calling out my friend's name. I couldn't hear a response. Where was she? This is not the time for a spontaneous game of Hide and Seek. Shiloh and Silas got Serenity a new hockey stick and I was itching to go out into the court and play.

"Serenity!" I'd never heard that sound come out of Serenity's mom's mouth. There was so much pain and despair; I was scared.

"Mom?" Shiloh called. When she didn't respond, he commanded us to stay downstairs while he checked it out. Shiloh was the oldest of the three siblings, at 9 years old. We usually listened to whatever he said. This time, Silas decided he was also old enough to go see what was going on, as he had turned 8 two months prior. The two ran upstairs, confident that we would obey their orders.

Kendall, Carlos, Logan, and I looked at each other, unsure of what to do. What happened to Serenity? Was she okay? Only a few seconds passed before we made the unspoken agreement to go get answers.

We raced up the stairs, heading to the first door on the right: Serenity's room. We found her mom kneeling on the floor, crying. I'd never seen an adult cry before. I didn't know that was allowed.

"Mommy?" Silas asked. "What happened?"

"Where's Serenity?" Shiloh asked. He knelt down next to his hysteric mother.

"S-she's gone," she sobbed. We all knelt around her, wanting to comfort her and somehow make her stop crying. In her hand was the purple ribbon that had decorated Serenity's ebony hair just minutes before. Shiloh threw his arms around his mother's neck and Silas followed suit. I looked around at my friends and knew they were feeling the same thing I was: confusion.

Her dad entered the room, his eyes red with tears.

"The police are on their way," he choked out. The police? What was going on?

Minutes later, six men in blue police uniforms arrived and ushered us out of the room. They wrapped caution tape around the doorway. We all sat in the living room, surrounded by dirty cake plates and unopened presents, waiting for an explanation.

"Your parents are here, boys," one of the officers told us. "You'll know what we learn about what happened to Serenity as soon as we know." We nodded and followed our parents out the door. If Serenity was just playing Hide and Seek, she was going to be in big trouble when they found her.

Weeks passed by and we had yet to see our friend. Her face was on all kinds of posters and on TV commercials. They wrote "MISSING" in big red letters underneath her picture. They never found any traces of her.

Our parents tried to tell us she lived a good life. We didn't understand what was happening. Death was a concept we hadn't quite grasped at our young age. All we knew was we didn't see our best friend at the playground anymore. As we grew older, we began to understand she wasn't coming back. It wasn't until I was 13 years old that I learned hope of finding her alive was gone once she had been missing for 72 hours. We never took off the chain necklaces that held our individual half of Serenity's charm. They came to be our good luck charms. They were symbols of our friendship and of our young friend's memory. They were symbols of hope that she was still alive. Still out there. Somewhere.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **Team No Sleep**

 _If you're a Supernatural fan, head on over and check out Drew's story: Chardonnay._


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Big Time Rush, characters Sydney, Scarlett, and Nikayla were created (6 years ago omg) by users fabuluslyfamous, If life was a movie, and AveryPotterFangirl respectively.**

 **This story may contain content sensitive to some readers.**

 **CHAPTER TWO**

 _Present Day…_

Serenity POV

I woke up screaming for the third night in a row. My cheeks were already soaked with tears as the shrill screams burned against my throat.

"Renny, breathe; you're okay," my best friend, Elizabeth, crawled into my bed next to me and wrapped her arms around me.

"No one can hurt you. You're safe," another of my best friends, Sydney, crawled in with us.

"Renny, this is the third night in a row you've woken up screaming. Are you sure you don't want to talk to somebody?" the last member of our group, Scarlet, laid across us as there was no more room for her to lay next to us. The four of us-Elizabeth, Scarlet, Sydney, and myself-were a ragtag group of 18 year old orphans, who bonded over our traumatic childhoods.

Arielle, our orphanage mother, knocked on the door to our room and opened it slowly. "Are you okay, dear?"

"I'm okay," I answered, wiping the tears from my eyes. "Just a bad dream." Elizabeth hugged me tighter.

"Are you sure?" Arielle asked. I nodded.

"I'm sorry I woke you guys up." When I was six years old, I was abducted. At the age of 12, I ran away and never looked back. But the trauma of my kidnapping blocked out the memories of my previous life. My family, my friends, my home. Gone. All I had were the scars of my imprisonment and six years of nightmares.

I tried to get my friends to go back to bed. But they knew better; they stayed curled up in my bed with me so I would know I wasn't alone. With my blanket sprawled loosely across us and our collective body heat keeping us warm, the other three drifted back to sleep quickly. I shifted to my side to look at the moon through the window. Part of me, still terrified of the nightmare, told myself that if I didn't look away, he'd pop up in the window and take me away. Back to the cold, dark basement. Back to that prison. But the other part of me, the more logical and rational part, told myself that is was only a nightmare. He wasn't coming for me; if he knew where I was, he'd have come for me already.

It felt like ages before I finally drifted back to sleep. I was convinced I had only had my eyes closed for a few minutes before I was abruptly woken up by the alarm. We all let out a collective groan at the day in store. School.

The four of us share a bathroom. Each morning, the bathroom becomes a war zone, with makeup and hair products scattered across the sink. We all stood huddled around the mirror, looking like the mismatched group we'd always been.

Scarlet, with her fiery red locks and dark brown eyes, who believes simple is beautiful and restricted her makeup to mascara. Elizabeth, "Lizzy," with silver-blonde hair cropped to just above her shoulders and her black lined brown eyes. And Sydney, with her signature black hoodie pulled up over her head. I had known her for a year before learning she was blonde. I gathered my long black hair into a high ponytail and drew a thin black line above my blue eyes. I absent-mindedly fumbled with my charm bracelet while I waited for my friends to finish getting ready.

I didn't remember where I got my bracelet. All I knew was I had it before I was abducted. I liked to imagine I got it from my playground friends. I couldn't remember their names or their faces, but a gut feeling told me I cared for them deeply. All I had were carvings of half a name on each of the half charms. The monkey, reading "Car;" the book, reading "Lo;" the bird, reading "Ken;" and the crown, reading "Jam."

When I was 16, the girls and I were messing around and we got to the topic of my bracelet. We created the people behind the charms. "Car:" Carly. "Lo:" Lorelai. "Ken:" Kennedy. "Jam:" Jamie.

"Girls!" Arielle's cheerful voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Hurry up, or we'll be late!" She had thrown her shoulder-length dirty blonde hair into a messy bun and the dark circles under her hazel eyes gave away just how tired she was. She put on a cheerful, energetic front. But it couldn't have been easy for her, raising a ton of orphans all by herself, especially at the young age of 38.

We piled into her car and arrived at school minutes later. The day dragged on slowly. All I could think about was the recurring nightmares I'd been having. I had trouble staying awake in my classes, and when I did manage to stay awake, I couldn't keep my eyes off the clock. My teachers were lenient. It was, after all, senior year. When the final bell rang, I met up with my gang of girls. Arielle wasn't able to pick us up, so we walked home. It wasn't a long walk, and we spent the entire time laughing about a guy's cheesy attempt at flirting with Lizzy and her naive soul not realizing it.

Arielle was sitting at the dinner table, holding a letter, with a distraught look on her face. We put our backpacks down and quietly cleared all the little kids out of the room before confronting Arielle. It wasn't unusual for her to share with us her worries. We were the oldest, and technically all adults. Legally, we didn't even have to live at the orphanage since we were all 18. But we couldn't bring ourselves to leave the one woman who had remained a constant, caring figure in our lives.

"Ari? What's going on?" Lizzy asked once the kids were gone.

"Girls, you need to pack your bags," was her only response before she stood up.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Are you kicking us out?" Sydney sounded worried. She had been kicked out of enough foster homes as a child.

"Oh honey, it's not that. We just need to get you out of here for a while." She hesitated before handing me the letter she had been reading.

"What's this?" I scrunched my eyebrows together as I slowly opened the letter. I froze when I saw the handwriting, immediately recognizing who it was from and the danger I was in.

" _Someone's been a naughty girl. I've missed you, Ugly Duckling. But I've found you. And I'm coming for you."_

I gripped the note with a shaky hand. Without another word, I dropped the note on the table and raced up the stairs to pack my things. I had barely pulled out my suitcase before my three friends silently walked in and did the same.

"You guys…" I paused. "You don't have to come with me. It's me he's after, not you."

"You're our best friend, Ren," Scarlet looked at me. "If anything happened to you, and we weren't there, we'd never forgive ourselves."

"We're in this together," Lizzy added.

"We aren't leaving you now, when you need us the most," Sydney told me. I started to tear up and quickly pulled them into a hug.

"I love you guys."

Arielle walked in, holding a stack of papers in her hands. "I've booked a flight for 7 AM tomorrow morning. I hope you guys don't mind getting up early."

"You're really pushing it," Sydney laughed.

"Where are we going?" Lizzy asked, shooting Sydney a look.

"I'm sending you to L.A.," Arielle answered. The four of us exchanged looks.

"Man, couldn't send us far enough away!" Scarlet joked. She wasn't wrong. 2000 miles was a lot. But I was afraid it wasn't going to be far enough away from him.

"L.A.? It'll have to do," Lizzy sighed dramatically. "Sun, sand, _boys!"_

"Make sure you get some rest tonight," Arielle laughed. "You've got an early morning." We finished our homework, though we weren't entirely sure why. I think we all knew it was unlikely we'd be finishing out the school year. Once we made sure everything was packed, we headed off to bed at the ripe time of 11 PM, already dreading our 5 AM wake up call. But we drifted off to sleep quickly.

My nightmare was worse than ever that night. I heard his voice, felt his breath on my neck. I felt his touch on my skin. I woke up screaming for the fourth night in a row.

"Sh, sh, sh, it's okay, sweetie," Arielle murmured into my hair. I wasn't sure how she'd gotten there so quickly, but I figured she had spent the night in our room to ease her worries.

"I-it was s-so r-real," I whispered shakily, clinging to her sleeve.

"He can't hurt you."

"He knows where I am," I cried.

"Not for long," Arielle told me. She held my face in her hairs and gently wiped a tear away with her thumb. "You will be 2,000 miles away this time tomorrow. He cannot and will not hurt you. I won't let him."

"I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Waking me up would imply I fell asleep at all," she told me as she pulled me to her. She held me until I fell asleep again.

"Wait… What do you mean you aren't coming with us?" Lizzy sounded panicked.

"Honey, there are more kids at the home that need me to take care of them."

"Who's going to watch us in L.A.?" Scarlet asked.

"You all are 18. You can take care of yourselves."

"We'll be fine," Sydney promised as she secured her hood over her head. Arielle hugged us each good-bye before being yelled at by airport staff for taking up curbside space.

"Call me when you land!" she called as she drove away. We stood at the curb and watched her drive away. It was very surreal. Suddenly, we were four 18-year-old girls who were embarking on an adventure to a city none of us had ever been to before. We weren't sure we'd survive on our own. But Arielle had sacrificed a lot to get us there, so we had to try.

"Ready?" Sydney asked us. She slung her backpack over her shoulder with one arm and held the handle to her suitcase with the other.

"Ready."

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a Supernatural fan, head on over and check out Drew's story: Chardonnay._


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Big Time Rush, characters Sydney, Scarlett, and Nikayla were created (6 years ago omg) by users fabuluslyfamous, If life was a movie, and AveryPotterFangirl respectively.**

 **This story may contain content sensitive to some readers.**

 **CHAPTER THREE**

"Am I in heaven?" Lizzy eagerly looked around at our new surroundings. L.A. was definitely a huge shock from Minnesota. Back home, it was 25 degrees, no doubt with a fresh blanket of snow on the ground. But in L.A., it was a solid 80 degrees in the middle of December. Insane.

"Come on, we have to catch a taxi," Scarlett ushered us on. "From what I hear, it's nearly impossible to get a taxi in L.A."

"I think you're thinking of New York City," Sydney mumbled as she searched the street for an oncoming taxi.

"Okay, maybe. But the traffic here is awful and I don't know about you girls, but I am in major need of a nap," Scarlett answered as she waved down a taxi. We shoved our luggage into the trunk, barely able to close it, and piled into the cab.

"Where to, ladies?" the driver asked.

"Um, hang on," I muttered as I fumbled with my phone, searching for the email Arielle sent me with all our information. "Looks like… the Palm Woods Hotel, please! Do you need the address?"

"Nah," the driver chuckled. "I get a lot of kids headed there. Make that trip at least three times a day."

"So the Palm Woods is a big tourist hot spot?" Sydney asked.

"Not necessarily," he answered. "People that go there usually stay for a while. More of an extended stay type of place."

"Lots of teenagers though?" Lizzy asked. She looked at me and eagerly mouthed " _boys_."

"Tons." The drive was only about 25 minutes, but when we pulled up to the entrance of the hotel, we had to question the driver.

"You're kidding," Sydney's mouth dropped open. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Palm Woods Hotel," the driver answered. "This is it. Not what you were expecting?"

"Better!" Scarlett squealed. "Come on guys!" I paid the cab driver while the girls pulled our luggage out of the trunk. After the taxi had left, we stood at the entrance. There was no doubt we all had the same jaw-dropped, wide-eyed shocked look on our faces. Coming from a humble, small town in Minnesota, this hotel was like a dream.

"Now I _know_ I'm in heaven," Lizzy squealed. "This place is huge!"

"Really?" Scarlet agreed. I imagine she was trying to be sarcastic, as she usually is, but was too shocked to put any sarcasm into her comment.

"How did Ari afford this?" Sydney looked at me. I shook my head. I had no idea.

"Let's go check in," Scarlet ushered us forward and straight to the check-in desk.

The desk was unoccupied. "Excuse me?" I leaned slightly over the counter, looking to the sides for an employee. Lizzy rang the bell on the desk and a large man popped out from behind the counter. I shrieked and jumped away.

"Hello and welcome to the Palm Woods. How may I help you?" he asked monotonously. He seemed to be completely unfazed by the heart attack he had just given me.

"We'd like to check in," Lizzy said politely, as I was still recovering.

"Name?" We all looked at each other.

"Um, Arielle White?" Scarlett guessed. The man typed the name into his computer before shaking his head.

"No reservation under that name."

"Try Serenity Cooper," I told him, guessing the reservation was under my name.

"There you are. Room 2H. Have a Palm Woods Day." He handed me a small paper folder containing four room keys. We took the elevators up to the second floor, not wanting to haul our luggage up the stairs. The hallways were just as impressive as the lobby and we were too busy admiring our surroundings to pay attention to where we were walking.

I was leading the pack, which was why I was the first to walk into him. My three friends plowed into me from behind, making the time I spent pressed into this stranger all the more awkward.

"I'm so sorry," I stammered. We looked up at him with wide eyes. I had never seen a man as large as him before. He towered over us.

"Nah, you're good. I wasn't paying attention," he answered with a smile. Sydney pulled her hood up farther over our head and Scarlett cowered behind her.

He seemed to notice our apprehension. "I'm not that scary."

"No, no," I smiled nervously at him. He was scary. I'm sure if he was angry enough, he could have snapped me in half with one hand. He was not the type of person to get on your bad side. "What's your name?"

"Freight Train."

"Of course it is," I muttered through my teeth. I kept the smile on my face.

"Oh my," Lizzy whispered.

"Nice to meet you, Freight Train," Scarlett held her hand out and he shook it. For a moment, her hand was completely lost in his.

"Do you live here?" I asked.

"Nah. I'm just standing guard," he shrugged.

"Ooh, does someone famous live here?" Lizzy squealed, while trying to peer behind Freight Train as if she could see right through the door.

"Big Time Rush." I looked at my friends to see if anyone recognized the name, but they all had the same blank expression that I did.

"Who?" I arched an eyebrow up at him.

"They're a band," Freight Train chuckled. "They're supposed to be finishing up a song before they can go down to the pool. They've been real distracted lately and the boss isn't happy. My job is to make sure they finish."

"Ah," Scarlett nodded. "Well, Freight Train, it's been a pleasure, but we should really go find our room."

"You know, you should meet the guys. I think you'd like them," he smiled. We nodded and laughed as we mumbled our goodbyes.

"He was huge," Lizzy hissed. I quickly shushed her; we weren't far enough away for him to not hear her yet.

Our room happened to be right next door. We let ourselves in and quickly called our rooms. We assumed our reservation was for a hotel room, but we quickly learned we were living in an actual apartment. There were three rooms; Lizzy and I took one room, Scarlet and Sydney shared the other, and we kept the third room open as a guest room for Arielle. Lizzy and I shared the bathroom across the hall from us, and Scarlett and Sydney shared the bathroom next door to their room.

"Guys, I know we want to adventure and all," I started to rub my eyes sleepily. "But I can hardly keep my eyes open just thinking about that bed."

"How about we take a nap and explore after?" Scarlett suggested.

"Good idea," Lizzy let out a yawn.

"Sleep well, Ladies," Sydney called to us as we all retreated to our rooms. I had barely finished putting the sheets on my bed before I was curled up under the blankets. I was glad the rooms were already furnished, but I was so tired, I probably would've been okay sleeping on the ground. I fell asleep within seconds.

 _I stood in a room that felt very familiar, although I was sure I hadn't been there before. Half of my hair was pulled up and decorated with a purple ribbon. I turned to look in the full-length mirror and I was immediately drawn to the chain bracelet on my wrist. I admired it like it was the first time I'd seen in._

 _I let out a gasp at the dark figure that suddenly appeared behind me. He grew right before my eyes, suddenly towering over me, filling up the room. Or maybe I was shrinking. Either way, I cowered in fear. He reached out a hand, ripping the purple ribbon from my hair. I tried to run but for every step I took, he took two. I couldn't get ahead. His hand tightened around my wrist and he pulled me out through the window._

I awoke with a start, seconds before the alarm went on.

"Pool?" Lizzy popped up. If it weren't for her messed up hair and dazed expression, I would've thought she hadn't slept.

"You guys want to go swimming?" Scarlett called. I groaned and covered my face with my pillow.

"The alarm just went off," I grumbled. "Let me wake up first." Lizzy threw herself on top of me and I shrieked.

"Wake up, cranky pants," she giggled.

"I'm up!" I exclaimed. "Get off me!" For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where her energy came from.

"Good." She rolled off my bed. "I need your help picking out a swim suit."

"Why does it matter?" She gaped at me.

" _Boys_?" she scoffed. I rolled my eyes. Of course. How could I forget? She ruffled through her suitcase and came up with two different bikinis: a leaf green lace bikini, and a hot pink bikini top with white bottoms.

"Wear the pink one." I tried to stifle my yawn. "It makes you look tan."

"See?" she tisked. "This is why I keep you around! You should wear your teal mermaid top. It makes your boobs look good."

"Right. Priorities."

"Now you're getting it!" she winked. I let out a deep sigh and rolled out of bed. After a few minutes of rummaging through my belongings, I found the teal mermaid shell bikini top and white bottoms my friends suggested. I turned to face the wall as I changed.

"You good?" Lizzy asked over her shoulder as she faced the opposite wall to change. "You're crankier than usual."

"I just had a weird dream," I shrugged her off.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." What was I going to say? I relived my kidnapping? It was our first day in a brand new place; I wasn't going to bring down the mood.

Lizzy shrugged. "I'm here if you wanna talk." Sydney banged on our door.

"Guys! Hurry up!"

"Damn, girl!" Lizzy laughed. "Relax, we're ready."

"Everyone have sunscreen?" Scarlett held up her bottle.

"I'm going to need that," I told her. "I'll burn in 2 seconds in this sun." She tossed me the bottle of sunscreen and I shoved it into my tote bag. I pulled out the book I had been reading on the plane and tucked it under my arm. We were almost out the door before I stopped and raced back to my room, leaving my charm bracelet on the dresser. I wasn't about to risk losing it in the water.

The pool was just as glamorous as everything else in the hotel. I wasn't sure why we were still so surprised. We were surrounded by teenagers, who all looked like they were fresh off the red carpet. They looked just as glamorous as everything else and I think we all felt a little out of place.

Scarlett and Lizzy wasted no time in stripping down to their bikinis and diving into the pool. Sydney and I hung back, settling ourselves down on the pool chairs.

"I can't believe we're at the pool in the middle of December," Sydney sighed.

"Toto, we're not in Minnesota anymore," I giggled. Sydney laughed and pulled off her basketball shorts, but kept her black hoodie on. She rarely, if ever, took her jacket off.

I stripped out of my clothes, laid a towel across the chair, and settled myself down.

"Oh, my God, Ren," Scarlett exclaimed from the pool. "They have a frozen lemonade stand here?!" I immediately sat up, spotting the stand.

"Oh, my God!" I shrieked. I immediately searched through my bag for my wallet and headed over to where the heaven-sent frozen strawberry lemonade was calling to me.

I looked down at my phone, squinting and adjusting my phone to try to see the screen. The sun was so dang bright, it looked like a blank screen. As I simultaneously searched through my phone and adjusted my headphones, I shoulder-checked a passerby and dropped both my wallet and my phone.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!" I immediately bent down to pick up my stuff.

"It's my fault, I wasn't looking," he answered. He set down a hand-held mirror before helping me. I thought that was so weird, but maybe it was normal for L.A. I bumped my head on his when we reached for my phone at the same time.

"Oh, my God, I'm sorry," I laughed lightly, blushing furiously.

"No worries," he laughed. It was a really attractive laugh. I've never thought of a guy's laugh as being attractive before but _damn_.

"Thanks," I stood up and nervously tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Why don't you let me buy you one of those frozen lemonades? As an apology gift?" he flashed me a dazzling, pearly white smile.

"Shouldn't _I_ be buying _you_ one?" I cocked an eyebrow. He pursed his lips together and rolled his hazel eyes up to the sky as he pretended to think.

"No. I'm pretty sure it's the gentleman who buys the beautiful woman a drink." I blushed again and walked alongside him to the lemonade stand. "By the way, nice shells."

"Excuse me?" He gestured to my bikini top.

"My eyes are up here, pretty boy," I rolled my eyes. He laughed.

"My name's James," he held his hand out.

"My friends call me Ren."

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a Supernatural fan, head on over and check out Drew's story: Chardonnay._


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Big Time Rush, characters Sydney, Scarlett, and Nikayla were created (6 years ago omg) by users fabuluslyfamous, If life was a movie, and AveryPotterFangirl respectively.**

 **This story may contain content sensitive to some readers.**

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

"Ren? Haven't heard that before. Is it short for something?"

"It's a secret," I smirked.

"Come on, I thought we were friends?" I mimed zipping up my lips and locking them with a key. He threw his head back in a contagious laugh. I chewed nervously at the inside of my lip, trying to hold back a laugh as well. It wasn't even funny; I wasn't sure why he laughed like that. I wasn't complaining though. I had yet to hear a laugh more attractive than his.

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, my friends and I just moved here."

"What do you do?"

"What?"

"What do you do?"

"Um, I worked as an English tutor back home." James let out a laugh.

"You're funny." I mumbled thanks, as I wasn't really sure why that was so funny. "But really, what are you doing here?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you mean."

"This is the Palm Woods: Home of the Future Famous!" he exclaimed, holding his arms out wide. "So, do you sing, act, dance, or all of the above?"

"Try none of the above," I laughed. "What about you?"

"I'm in a band," he flipped his long brown hair to the side, as if that should impress me.

"Yeah?"

"Perhaps you've heard of us: Big Time Rush." I paused for a second, biting my lip sheepishly.

"Um…"

"You're joking!"

"Wait! Wait, I have heard of you. My friends and I met Freight Train today." James groaned, slapping his hand to his forehead.

"Renny, what gives? I've been waiting for my frozen lemonade for nearly ten minutes!" Scarlett jogged up to us, dripping water with every step. She noticeably looked James up and down and immediately turned up her charm. "Well, hello. I'm Scarlett."

"James," he smiled at her and shook her hand.

"Well, now I understand," she nudged me playfully.

"Shut up," I hissed at her through my teeth.

"Sorry I've kept her so long," James scratched his head. I wondered how soft his hair was. It looked really soft.

 _"What the hell, Serenity?"_ I was immediately disturbed by my sudden thoughts.

"Oh, all is forgiven!" she giggled.

"I was just about to buy Ren here a strawberry frozen lemonade. What would you like?" James asked my friend.

"Oh, I'm alright, thank you though," she held her hands up. "The lemonade was mostly for Renny." I shot her a look. Why was she being so weird?

"Let me make it up to you guys," James grinned as he slid a $5 to the man working the lemonade stand. He handed my drink to me as he continued. "Why don't you and your friends come over to our apartment tonight? We'll have a little welcome party."

"That sounds-" Scarlett started eagerly.

"Ah, we can't," I cut her off quickly. Scarlett shot me a look.

"What do you mean, we can't?" she tried to hide her anger through a smile.

"When a cute boy invites you to his room, you always say no," I told her.

"So you think I'm cute?" James winked.

"Like you don't know you're attractive, Mr. I'm In A Band," I rolled my eyes. He shrugged and nodded. I cringed a little.

"What my friend means to say is: we'll be there," Scarlett told him.

"Great. Room 2J. Be there at 7!" James jogged off to a group of three other guys, who I assumed to be his band mates. A tall blonde with thick, dark eyebrows, a Latino wearing a helmet, and a smaller guy with spiked black hair. James stood tallest.

Scarlett slapped my arm. " _What_ were you thinking?!" she hissed. "Turning down a man _that_ attractive?" I didn't answer her.

Lizzy screamed when we told her a cute boy had invited us to dinner. She screamed even louder when we pointed out said cute boy. She tried to drag us over to James and his friends to get better acquainted before dinner. But she was left staring after them, jaw dropped, as Freight Train literally threw them over his shoulders and dragged them away from the pool just moments later. I thought I was going to go deaf once she realized we were neighbors.

I tried to enjoy the rest of my time in the sunshine. But Lizzy and Scarlett wouldn't shut up about the cute boys we would be having dinner with later, and eventually Sydney ushered us back upstairs so we wouldn't get sunburns.

A few cheesy rom coms later, Scarlett left to go get ready. Lizzy followed shortly after. Under normal circumstances, I would've gone right along with them. I wasn't one to shy away from getting dolled up and I definitely was not one to shy away from cute boys. In fact, my friends often made fun of me for being such a flirt. But the note I had received kept my thoughts otherwise preoccupied. I was safe for now, but how long would that last?

"Renny, what are you doing?" Scarlett screeched, pulling me out of my thoughts and away from Freddie Prinze Jr. on _She's All That._

"What do you mean?"

"You aren't even dressed!?" She gestured at my bikini. I hadn't even bothered to put clothes back on after the pool; my suit was already dried and it wasn't cold in the apartment.

"So I'll change and get ready after this movie," I shrugged.

"Serenity, it is already 6 PM, you do not have time for this." She grabbed me by the wrist and forced me to my feet.

"But-" I whined. "It's just getting good! They're almost to the prom!" Scarlett let out an annoyed sigh. She sat me down on the closed toilet and dumped my makeup across the counter.

"You'd better be cleaning that up." She shushed me and went to work. Thirty minutes later, after much protest, my hair was pinned half up and my makeup was done. Lizzy handed me a pair of leggings, a floral top, and the charm bracelet I had left on my dresser.

"Why are we all dressed up? It's just dinner at their apartment. I doubt it's anything fancy."

"Will you stop whining?" Lizzy threw her arms against her side. "They're cute boys and this is L.A. Give us this please?" Sydney seemed to be just as opposed to this as I was. She let Lizzy do her makeup, but stuck to leggings and her black sweatshirt. Lizzy dressed in a tank top and miniskirt and, after fighting Scarlett for a long time, let Scarlett wear leggings and a tank top.

"Can we go now?" I asked.

"Wait, I just need to fix my hair," Scarlet answered.

"Scar, you look great."

"Yeah… You're right," she answered. "Let's go."

Lizzy eagerly rapped her knuckles against the door to 2J. James opened the door, leaning against the handle in all his 6'1" glory.

"Hey Ren," he flashed me a crooked grin. "Hey, girls. I'm James."

"I'm Lizzy," she tried to hide her excitement as she looked at me eagerly from the corner of her eye.

"I'm Scarlet," my friend extended her sleeved hand. James politely shook it before letting us inside.

"These are my best friends and band mates," James gestured to his three friends, who were sitting around the table.

"I'm Kendall," tall, blonde, and eyebrows waved to us.

"I'm Logan," brunette dimples flashed us a smile.

"And I'm Carlos!" helmet head was practically bouncing in his seat.

"Have a seat," James gently put his hand on the small of my back and led us to the table. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Scarlett, darling, please take your headphones out. I know we joke about it, but they aren't _actually_ glued to your ears," Lizzy used her best motherly tone.

"Yes, Mom," Scarlett rolled her eyes and pulled her ear buds out. Sydney giggled. An older, red headed woman who introduced herself as Kendall's mom, Mrs. Knight, placed a pan filled with dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets on the table.

"I told you it'd be nothing fancy," I whispered to Scarlett on my left.

"This is insane," Lizzy giggled. "How'd you know dino nuggets are our favorite dinner?"

"Dino nuggets are _our_ favorite!" Carlos exclaimed as he excitedly bit into one. I reached over at the pan, picking up a few of the nuggets and putting them on my plate.

"Hey, that's a cool bracelet Ren," Kendall gestured to my charms.

"Oh, thanks," I fumbled with the charms.

"She's had that thing forever," Sydney commented. "She almost never takes it off."

"Can I see?" James took my hand in his and my heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened slightly as he observed the charms.

"Serenity?" his voice was barely audible. I was too surprised to answer.

"Whoa, what?" Sydney's shock was obvious. James fumbled with the collar of his shirt before removing a chain from around his neck. He isolated the half of the crown charm on my bracelet and matched up a charm from his necklace. It was a perfect fit. He turned the completed charm over to reveal the completed name: James.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a Supernatural fan, head on over and check out Drew's story: Chardonnay._


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Big Time Rush, characters Sydney, Scarlett, and Nikayla were created (6 years ago omg) by users fabuluslyfamous, If life was a movie, and AveryPotterFangirl respectively.**

 **This story may contain content sensitive to some readers.**

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

"What the hell?" I yanked my hand away and hugged my arm to my chest.

"Oh my God," Kendall breathed. "Is that really you?"

"How do you know my name?!" the accusation in my tone made them cower back for a split second.

"Someone explain what's going on," Lizzy commanded.

"Y-you were kidnapped," Logan stammered. "They told us you were dead!" Amongst the commotion, the other three boys removed matching chains from around their necks and tossed them at James. I was hesitant to hold my arm out again, for fear of the unknown, but he was gentle and kind enough. So I let him hold my wrist and match up each of the charms. The book: Logan. The monkey: Carlos. The bird: Kendall.

Lizzy stared at me from across the table. Once the final charm was matched, I snatched my arm away from James again. I clung to my wrist, feeling the cool metal pressing into my flesh as my breathing quickened, my heart pounded against my chest, and the very walls themselves seemed to cave in.

"I can't believe it; you're alive!" Kendall's voice seemed warped. I stood up quickly, forcing a cringe-worthy scrape from the chair legs against the wooden floor.

"Um, well, this has been super fun," my breathing was frantic and ragged, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to force sounds past the lump in my throat. "But I have to go." I raced out the door and into my apartment before anyone could make a sound.

I barely made it back to my bed before I crumbled. I fought for breath, but I couldn't breathe. My body was hot; was I standing on the sun? My chest tightened and burned and I was certain I was going to die of asphyxiation right there.

 _"Breathe,"_ I commanded myself. " _Breathe_." I drew in a deep, shaky, painful breath and used my remaining strength to situate myself on my bed. I laid my back flat against the bed, with my legs pressed up against the wall. I put one hand on my chest and one on my stomach.

 _"Inhale...2...3...4...Hold...2...3...4..5...Out...2...3...4...5...6… Oh God, I knew them before… Ren, no. In...2...3...4...Hold...2...3...4...5...Out...2...3...4...5...6...Do they know my parents? Do they miss me? Are they even still alive? Serenity,_ focus _. In...2...3...4...Hold...2...3...4...Out...2...3...4...5...6…"_ I heard the door open and then click closed. I didn't acknowledge the presence. I was busy making sure my breathing came from my belly and not my chest. I was busy counting out my breaths and not panicking. I was busy trying to _stay alive._

My bed shifted under the weight when this person sat down and Lizzy's familiar voice spoke gently. "What's going on in that head?"

"In 4, hold 5, out 6," I voiced my thoughts.

"Renny, I'm not going to pretend to know how you're feeling. This is _monumental_ news and everything that's happened recently...It's a lot to take in. But these boys knew you, they know your past. They know who you were, where you lived, your family! If someone came up to me and told me they saw my mother leave me in the alley next to the orphanage… Saw who she was… Or better yet, _knew_ who she was? I'd do anything to know everything about her." I had long since stopped counting out my breathing. Lizzy wasn't the most serious person I'd ever met, so when she spoke with the sincerity and passion that she did, I couldn't help but take in every word she said. "You have a real shot here, Renny. We've imagined our lives for years and now you have the chance to know for real. Don't let it go."

I breathed in deeply and opened my eyes to look at her. "This is so huge and so scary," I told her. "What if the reality isn't as good as what we made up?"

"But what if it is?" I was silent as I let the reality of her words sink in.

"I guess you're right," I said slowly. "I'm sorry for running out on dinner. Let's go back." With a grin on her face, she stood up and held her hand out to me. I took it as I pulled myself out of my bed.

"Besides," Lizzy started. "The boys are _way_ better than I imagined Carly, Lorelei, Jamie, and Kennedy would be." I let out a laugh as we walked back into Big Time Rush's apartment.

They didn't seem to be having any trouble getting along. Sydney wasn't one to warm up to strangers very quickly, but she and Carlos were already huddled together, playing with their dinosaur nuggets.

Suddenly, all eyes were on me. I rubbed my arm nervously.

"Come eat some dino nuggets!" Kendall called through a mouth full of food.

"What did I miss?" I asked as I took my seat next to James. My loaded plate of dino nuggets remained untouched.

"Well, Scar, Kendall, Logan, and I were just getting to know each other," James leaned towards me as he spoke. "I couldn't tell you what those two are doing." We looked over at Sydney and Carlos, who were too engrossed in their game to notice us all staring.

"So, as I was saying," Scarlett pulled our attention back to her. "We've basically been friends forever. We're here on an adventure. A little sun, a little fun. You know."

"We've been friends our entire lives too," Kendall said eagerly. "We got discovered by Gustavo Rocque back in Minnesota and we signed with Rocque Records as Big Time Rush."

"Did you just say you're all from Minnesota?" Sydney looked over at us. The guys looked at each other and nodded.

"No way," Lizzy squealed. " _We're_ from Minnesota!"

"You're joking," Logan said. "What part?"

"Duluth!"

"We're from Moose Lake!"

"This is crazy," I laughed. "We grew up an hour away from each other!"

"What a small world," Logan leaned back and folded his arms with a dimpled half-smile.

"Okay, so you're all in a band," Scarlett looked around. "Have you always wanted to be famous?"

James chuckled. "This face _deserves_ to be seen." Kendall rolled his eyes.

"Ignore him," he said. "The rest of us had other plans, but when opportunity calls, you take it. Now, I can't imagine doing anything else."

"Are you guys into music?" Logan asked us. "Do you sing?" We broke into a chorus of "nos," except for Scarlett, sticking out like a sore thumb, with her eager "yes." She had a bewildered look on her face as she made eye contact with each of us.

"Well, _I_ do. These guys pretend they can't, but they definitely can." We tried to argue with her. "Renny and Syd even write their own music!"

"I write _poetry_ ," Sydney countered. "There's a difference."

Scarlett sighed. "Well, what's your excuse, Ren?"

"Give me a second and I'll think of something," I huffed.

Lizzy, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, suddenly looked up from her phone, screeching, "Oh, my God! We've totally heard your music back in Minnesota!" I looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. "They toured there last year! That song 'Famous' was on the radio all the time."

"Alright! We're on the radio!" Carlos exclaimed excitedly. I was sure they were on the radio there too. But Carlos was just as excited as if they'd never been before.

"Wait, which song?" Sydney leaned over to look at Lizzy's phone. Lizzy held out her phone in the middle of the table as a familiar song played through its speakers.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed a little louder than I expected. "This was our song of the summer! This was you guys!?" The boys of Big Time Rush seemed thrilled with themselves and their work.

Hours passed and the conversations continued as if we'd known each other our whole lives. I guess, in a way, I kind of did. Before I knew it, my eyes were burning and I knew it was time to take out my contacts and go to bed. The other girls seemed to be in the same boat. We started to say our good nights.

The boys of BTR, my childhood friends, seemed to take their time saying good night to me. I appreciated that once I came back, they didn't make a big deal about me. I wasn't sure I would be able to take the constant questioning and excitement. Knowing they knew me as a child before my abduction was overwhelming enough.

The relaxed sigh they each let out when hugging me was comforting and familiar. Like for the first time in 12 years, we could finally breathe.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a Supernatural fan, head on over and check out Drew's story: Chardonnay._


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

I woke up from a dreamless sleep for the first time in a long time. I felt rested and calm. Maybe being in L.A. would be really good for me.

It was 10 A.M. and no one else in the apartment was awake. Those girls could sleep forever. But the sun shone brightly through the windows and I decided to go downstairs and soak up some rays before the sunlight got too intense. I quickly brushed my teeth and changed into a palm tree patterned bikini. In the elevator, I threw my ebony girls up into a high ponytail and slipped my ear buds in.

The pool was already busy, though not as crazy as the day before. I claimed a pool chair for myself and settled in. I had found Big Time Rush's album on Spotify the night before and listened to the energetic beats of the song named after the band as I slathered sunscreen on my exposed skin. I had only been down there for a few minutes when my phone started buzzing.

" _Hey, you up?"_ James's text popped up on my screen. I sent him a text back telling him I was downstairs at the pool. He responded within seconds, letting me know he'd be right down. I settled back into the chair and closed by eyes.

Then I realized James couldn't see me like that. I wasn't wearing makeup. Days without sleep had left darkened circles around my eyes, more dramatic than usual. L.A. was filled with beautiful women and I _would not_ let myself be the most unattractive girl James knows in L.A. on my second day. I quickly dug through my bag, knowing I wouldn't have time to go upstairs and throw on some concealer and mascara. James would be there any second.

I breathed an audible sigh of relief when I found my sunglasses tucked away in my back and quickly set them over my eyes. Those would hide enough of the ugly for now.

I vaguely heard someone say my name over the chorus of "Oh Yeah." I peeked through one eye and saw James's smiling face.

"Hey," I grinned and sat up as he took a seat on the chair next to me. "What's up?"

"The guys and I are on break from the studio, and I just couldn't stop thinking about you," James answered nonchalantly. I hoped my sunglasses were big enough to hide the blush on my face.

"Yeah?" I couldn't think of a better answer. What was with this boy and why did he have such an effect on me?

"Yeah," he smirked. "What are you doing down here by yourself?"

"No one else is up," I shrugged. After a moment of silence, James sat up really straight and looked right at me.

"Why didn't you come home?" I was taken aback.

"A-wh-um-" I couldn't form words. What kind of question was that?

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I just… it's just been bugging me. What happened to you, how you're here."

"I didn't know where home was." James was silent. I could see the wheels turning in his head. I was getting more uncomfortable by the second.

"James, I promise I'll tell you everything that happened," I was surprised at the words I spoke. "Just give me time." He nodded and leaned over me to hug me. He smelled like coconut.

"How long is your break for anyway?" I asked as James pulled away. My skin felt hot where his touch lingered.

"Ah, I have a confession," he scratched his head. "We aren't actually on break. We just ran away." I let out a laugh.

"You're joking. How do you still have a career?"

"Gustavo loves us," he chuckled. An hour passed by and James had convinced me to go swimming with him. I tried not to stare as he peeled off his shirt. This was a man who obviously cared for his looks and _damn_.

Eventually, the girls woke up and they joined us down at the pool. When the boys came along, James and I hopped out of the pool to get strawberry lemonades.

I lounged in the sun, relishing in the warmth, as I finished off my drink. I stood up, setting my phone back down on the chair, to throw away the empty cup.

"Hold your breath," James's breath tickled against my ear as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.

"Wha-" before I could finish my question, James had jumped, dunking us both into the pool. As I was submerged in the cold chlorine water, memories flooded into my mind.

" _Hold your breath," his voice sent chills down my spine. "I swear to God, if you make a sound, I'll kill you." I pulled my knees up to my chest, wishing I could melt into the corner._

" _Are you coming?" a female voice called from the other side of the door at the top of the stairs. I wanted to scream. I should have screamed. But I was paralyzed in fear._

" _Be right there, darling!" he called to her. His expression darkened as he turned back to me._

" _Hold your damn breath. Not a sound." I nodded quickly and squeezed my eyes shut as I sucked in a breath. He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand; I clenched my fists and squeezed my eyes tighter. It was all I could do to keep from crying._

" _Yes… Good girl. That's my ugly duckling," he cooed. "Daddy's little whore."_

I kicked off the bottom of the pool and emerged with a deep gasp. There was water in my eyes and my sunglasses were slanted on my face. I pulled my glasses off and quickly wiped the water off my eyes.

"You good?" James's arms were suddenly wrapped around me again, pulling me close against him. I put a hand on his shoulder to steady myself in the water and nodded.

"I'm good." He smiled at me, looking me right in the eyes. I got lost in the hazel for a moment before realizing my naked face was exposed and I quickly placed my sunglasses back on my face. The water droplets stuck to the lenses disrupted my vision, but it was worth it.

James gave me a look that was a mix of confusion and amusement. "Are you hiding your face from me?"

"No!" I exclaimed quickly. James laughed.

"Good, because you shouldn't," he smirked and tightened his arms around me. "You're beautiful." I let out an uncomfortable laugh.

"Why would I be hiding my face from you? Ha, ha, you're funny," I pulled away from him and turned around. My eyes widened as I mouthed to myself " _what the hell Serenity?"_

"But Gustavo!" Kendall's whines caught my attention. I swam over to him and met Lizzy, Scarlett, and Sydney at the edge of the pool.

"Do we have to?" Carlos whined and pulled Kendall's phone to his face. "We were there this morning!" He quickly handed the phone back to Kendall, who cringed and pull the phone away from his ear as the shouts were so loud, even we could hear them.

James gestured for Kendall to hand him the phone. "We're not going!"

"How do they even still have a record deal?" I whispered to my friends. They all shrugged. I was sure if I told my boss I wasn't going into work-moreover _fought_ my boss about going into work-I'd be fired on the spot.

The girls and I hopped out of the pool to see what was going on. Kendall, who I had quickly learned was ever the gentleman, handed Scarlett her towel with a wide smile. Scarlett kept her cool as she graciously accepted the towel, but turned quickly to face me with her mouth wide open in a silent scream.

Freight Train must have been loitering just around the corner; I couldn't think of another logical explanation as to how he had appeared so quickly.

"Come on guys," he old the boys. "Gustavo wants you back in the studio." All of the sudden, the boys of Big Time Rush started talking over each other, begging Freight Train to let them have more time.

"Listen man, can't you just let this one slide?" Kendall begged.

"Yeah! Just tell Gustavo you couldn't find us for a few hours!" James added.

"Sorry, guys," Freight Train shrugged. "I won't be the cause of his wrath." The boys hung their heads and sulked. It reminded me of the kids back home. More specifically, my favorite four-year-old, Colby, when he was told "no, you can't have more ice cream." After a moment, Freight Train, who had remained firm through their _adorable_ puppy eyes, looked at them and said, "Now, who needs a ride?" It was like a switch flipped and suddenly, they were pushing, shoving, and climbing over each other to get to him. In the tussle, Carlos pushed me on his quest to pull James back. Arms flailing, I fell backwards into the pool, towel and all.

When I emerged, holding onto my now heavy, soaked towel, my friends looked as if someone had pressed pause on the TV remote. Everyone started in my direction, with wide "deer in the headlights" eyes. I didn't have to look in a mirror to know the look on my face could kill.

"You're so lucky I didn't have my phone on me," I grumbled as I wiped the water from my eyes.

"Well, it's been fun but Gustavo calls" Logan's voice got really high pitched. Freight Train picked them all up at once and threw them over his shoulders.

"Hey!" I called. Freight Train stopped walking and all BTR boys looked at me.

"At least give me one of your towels," I whined and held up my sad, dripping towel.

"Take mine," James said. He reached a long arm down to his towel. They had left all their stuff on the pool chairs, which I thought was ridiculous. Weren't they afraid of their things getting stolen? Freight Train leaned over to help him. I wondered how long it took him to be able to squat the weight of four grown men. Sydney took the towel from James and held it out for me when I got out of the pool.

With James's towel wrapped tightly around my shoulders, I watched in wonder and surprise as Freight Train effortlessly carried the boys to their rehearsal _on his shoulders._ It wasn't like I hadn't seen the exact thing yesterday, but it was still just as shocking. Quickly, I regained my composure and joined on my friends, who were soaking up the sun on the lounge chairs. I still had goose bumps from the cold water, but the sun was comforting.

I had only had my eyes closed for a few minutes before something blocked my sunlight. I opened my eyes to see three fresh-out-of-a-magazine girls standing in front of us. They had their arms crossed tightly and some of the worst cases of RBF I'd ever seen. The girl in the middle, the tallest with long blonde hair, spoke first.

"I hope you four don't think you're special."

The girl to her right, with dark skin and spiral brown curls, joined in. "They go for _all_ the new girls."

The third girl, with long dark hair and a healthy tan, spoke last. "They'll forget all about you as soon as someone else comes around. Don't get used to the attention." With a synced hair flip that I was sure they must have practiced in front of a mirror for hours, the three walked away. They had perfected the catwalk: hips swaying, hair bouncing, eye catching.

"Did...did we just get snobbed by our first Hollywood brats?" Sydney stared after them. We all had similar jaw-dropped, wide-eyed, shocked expressions on our faces.

Scarlett was the first to snap out of it. "Nice!" It was high-fives all around.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Supernatural, check out Drew's story:_ Chardonnay.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

We didn't see the boys for nearly a week after that. We had learned those three Hollywood brats called themselves "The Jennifers." Sydney laughed when she heard that. She was never much for people with huge egos, and walking around with a group name like that, with attitudes like that, screamed "look at me, I'm great." It was a wonder why she was such good friends with Scarlett because, besides James and now The Jennifers, Scarlett had the biggest ego of anyone I'd met.

I hated to let people like The Jennifers get to me. We had a couple brats like that back in Minnesota. But the longer we went without seeing the boys, the more I was afraid they were right. We were just a shiny new toy and now, the appeal was gone. I hadn't even had a chance to muster up the courage to ask about my family.

I spent that Saturday morning at the pool. We hadn't done much else in L.A, but at least we could say our tans were coming in nicely. When it hit 2:00 PM, I realized I should probably get out of the sun, so I packed up my stuff and headed back up to my room. I had my towel draped across the same arm carrying my tote bag, and with the other arm, I scrolled through my phone on a hunt for a new song. I had just met a total hippie who called himself "Guitar Dude," and his music on Spotify was actually really good.

In my distracted state, I caught my foot on the strap of a bag and stumbled a few feet. I let out a soft yelp while trying to find my footing. When my two feet were secure on the ground, I pulled one of my ear buds out and turned around to find the source of my stumble.

A girl, who seemed a little older than me, stood next to the duffel bag, staring at me with wide light brown eyes.

"I am _so sorry_ ," she exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, no worries," I let out a laugh. She knelt down and pulled her duffel bag closer to her. It was already pressed right up against her leg, and wasn't even in the walkway. Leave it to me to somehow trip over something that should have been so hard to trip over.

"I was just trying to work this vending machine," she ran her hand through her long, dark brown hair. "I should have been paying more attention to my stuff."

"It's my fault," I told her. "I wasn't watching where I was walking." She looked at me for a moment, studying me as if to make sure I wasn't just saying that to make her feel better.

"I'm Nikki," she held a hand out to me.

"I'm Ren," I shook her hand. "Let me see if I can help you with that vending machine. I know it's really tricky."

After a few minutes of banging the machine, shaking it, and pressing every button available, we managed to get out a bottle of Mountain Dew.

"You're a lifesaver, Ren!" Nikki exclaimed excitedly. She held up the bottle of Mountain Dew victoriously.

"Hey, any time you need help beating up a vending machine, I'm your girl," I laughed. I looked back down at her duffel bag and asked if she was just moving in.

"My mom and I just moved here," she told me. "My dad is hunting for a new house, so she and I are here until we find one."

"Well, welcome!" I exclaimed. "My friends and I just moved in a little over a week ago. You should come hang out some time! You'd really like them."

"I'd like that a lot!"

"Where are you staying? We'll stop by on our way to dinner and come get you," I grinned. "We eat out every other Saturday night and you just so happened to move in on a good day."

Nikki checked the envelope holding her room key. "Looks like I'm in room 3H."

"You're right above us! We're in room 2H. Feel free to stop by!"

"I might just do that. But, like, after a nap." I laughed. We said our goodbyes and she headed for the elevators, while I made my way to the stairs.

"Serenity!" I stopped walking, and turned to face James as he ran up to me.

"Hey!" he grinned, enveloping me in a hug.

"Hey," I hugged him back.

"Who was that girl you were talking to? She's cute," he chuckled, looking after in the direction Nikki had gone. I was stunned. I couldn't believe The Jennifers were actually right.

"What?" I couldn't even say another word to him, I was so angry. Never mind that he held the key to my past. He and the other boys didn't care unless you were a pretty new girl. I hadn't even seen James up until I met a new girl.

I scoffed and walked away.

"Ren?" James called after me. I ran up the stairs and straight into my room. My friends were watching a movie on the couch when I angrily burst into the apartment. I explained to them what had just happened, and I knew there was some internal conflict going on. I told them I was going to go take a nap, as the sun had drained me.

After changing into a pair of cotton pajama shorts and a gray t-shirt, I slipped under the covers of my bed. I laid awake for a while, wondering if I was overreacting. Maybe it was just a coincidence that James happened to reappear when I met Nikki. And it made sense that James would ask about her, since he hit on everything that moved.

I didn't remember falling asleep, but I woke up nearly three hours later. I let out a yawn and stretched deeply before throwing the covers off of me and getting up.

I heard Sydney's voice from the kitchen. "You have to understand, she has trouble trusting men." Was she talking about me?

"I just don't get what I did wrong," James's voice followed. Yup. Definitely talking about me.

"I think what happened at the pool with The Jennifers a few days ago affected her more than she let on," Sydney told him. "I mean, you guys have a past, and a past that she doesn't remember. You guys suddenly disappearing, and then the timing with Nikki… you just have to give her some time." I walked out into the kitchen and all eyes were on me.

"Hey," I plastered on a cheerful smile and walked over to the fridge to get a cold glass of water. James's eyes never left me. I turned to look at the two of them as I put the cup to my lips.

"What's up?" I asked. The cold water felt amazing as my throat was so dry. James was still staring at me and I was suddenly aware of my slept-in hair, lack of makeup, baggy t-shirt and almost embarrassingly short shorts. Sydney elbowed him in the ribs.

"Uh, um," he stammered. "I, um, I just wanna say I'm sorry for earlier. And for disappearing all week."

I waved him off. "Don't even stress. I'm good."

"It was still a pretty crap move," he told me. I looked him in the eyes and couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, I forgive you." It was too easy. Maybe I was overreacting, but even still, it was much easier to be mad at him when I wasn't looking at his face.

"When are we going to dinner?" Sydney seemed satisfied with the way the conversation went and moved on.

"Um," I checked the clock above the oven. "I mean, it's only 5. When did you guys eat lunch?"

Sydney thought for a moment before her eyes went wide. "Did we even?!"

"Well, are you hungry?" I laughed.

"I think I'm okay…" she said, before calling down the hall to Scarlett and Lizzy to see if they were hungry. Neither were.

"How about we see how we're doing in, like, an hour?"

"Can the guys and I come?" James asked. I mentally scolded myself for having a conversation about dinner in front of James without even inviting him.

"Of course!" I exclaimed. "Meet us back here in an hour, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," he flashed me a smile and rounded the corner of the bar to hug me. On his way out, he hugged Sydney and whispered, "Thank you." I didn't think I was supposed to have heard it, but it was nice to hear.

When James was out the door and, therefore, out of earshot, Sydney turned to me and said, "He's so into you."

"Is not!" I countered. Sydney rolled her eyes and retreated to her room without another word.

With an hour to spare before dinner, I went to my room and pulled out my guitar. It was a Fender, coated with classy, shiny black paint. It had taken me months to save up enough money to buy it; it was my pride and joy. After tuning it, I plucked lightly at the strings and closed my eyes, just enjoying the classic, relaxing sounds.

I hummed lightly with the chords I played and words popped into my head. I set my guitar against the wall and pulled my song notebook and pencil out from under my bed.

"You can take everything I have… You can break everything I am…" I muttered as I wrote out the words in my head.

Before I knew it, 45 minutes had passed and I had only finished the chorus and half of the first verse. But I had to get ready, so I quickly scribbled the title " _Skyscraper_ " across the top of the paper and put everything away.

Scarlett was already in the bathroom when I got there.

"Hey there, superstar," she said as she applied another coat of mascara.

"Whatever," I laughed as I dug through my makeup bag. As I moisturized, Scarlett studied her face in the mirror, clearly trying to decide what else needed to be done.

"You look great, Scar," I told her. I moved onto primer next.

"I know," she answered. "I mean, I don't _really_ need makeup, but I figured I'd wear it anyway, you know? Add that extra something."

"Yeah, totally," I rolled my eyes playfully. At least she was confident in her appearance, even if it came off in a negative lighting. "Are the other girls ready?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, they finished a few minutes ago." I pulled out my concealer-my saving grace-and covered the dark circles under my eyes and the redness around my nose and cheeks.

"How much are you going to do?" Scarlett looked at me through the mirror. She was referring to how much makeup I was planning on wearing.

"Where are we going to dinner again?"

"Rainforest Cafe."

"The whole deal," I answered. The nicer the restaurant, the more makeup I wore.

"Well, then you'd better hurry," Scarlett laughed. "The boys are going to be here in less than ten minutes. I let out a deep breath and quickly pulled out my foundation, using my makeup sponge to blend it into my face. Scarlett lined her lips with bright red lipstick, puckered her lips in a kiss, and smiled.

"Alright, Renny, I need your honest opinion." Scarlett stepped back so I could see her whole self. She looked beautiful, in her white skinny jeans and black flowy tank top.

"What's up?"

"Do I look great? Or do I look great?" she did a quick spin and giggled. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the mirror as I filled in my eyebrows.

"You look great, Scar. Now quit distracting me, I've got a lot to do!" Scarlett waggled her fingers in a wave as she left. I had less than ten minutes to get ready and I was still in my PJs. I had just finished lining my eyes with black liquid liner when I heard a knock at the door.

"Renny, they're here!" Lizzy called.

"They are going to have to wait, I am not done yet!" I called back. I quickly curled my lashes and applied a few coats of mascara. I heard them talking in the kitchen while I brushed out the tangles in my hair. I was grateful that I had at least straightened it the day before so all it needed was a good brushing to look presentable.

After a quick contour session, I felt content that it was as good as it was going to get. I called out a quick "hey" as I ran from my bathroom to my bedroom to change. I settled on a lacy red long sleeved shirt and black leggings with black boots.

I made sure I had my phone, wallet, and room keys before meeting everyone else out in the kitchen.

"Well, hello gorgeous!" Lizzy squealed. I couldn't hide the blush that crept up to my cheeks when I met James's eyes at that same moment.

"Hey guys," I greeted them. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go get Nikki and head out!"

We went upstairs and picked up Nikki. She was surprised at the large number of people we had but everyone seemed eager to meet each other. Nikki introduced us to her mother, who insisted we called her Jacalyn.

"Have fun, Nikayla," she waved us off. Nikki was quiet for most of the walk there. I pulled her behind to see how she was doing. She admitted she didn't do well in crowds, but just needed a few minutes to adjust and she would be fine.

And she was. We had just barely gotten to the restaurant when she was able to join in on conversations, share stories of her home which also happened to be Minnesota (we all thought that was _insane_ and decided Minnesotans just attracted other Minnesotans), and got to know us. I could have sworn her eyes were more brown when I first met her, but as she talked to us, her eyes looked golden.

With the nine of us sitting around a table, laughing and talking, enjoying the food and the rainforest scenery, I felt truly, truly happy for the first time in a long time.

* * *

 **Until next time xx much love**

 **TeamNoSleep**

 _If you're a fan of Supernatural, check out Drew's story:_ Chardonnay.


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